Abstract: The effects of emulsifier molecular architecture on phase inversion process including the critical water content at phase inversion point as well as the particle size are investigated. It is found that the water content at phase inversion point reaches a maximum when the molar ratio of the hydrophilic component PEG10000 to the hydrophobic component bisphenol Aepoxy resin E20 is equal to 1:1, meanwhile, the particle size reaches a minimum (about 100 nm). From the experimental results, it can be seen that to alter the molecular architecture of the emulsifier is an effective method to control the size of the waterborne particles prepared by phase inversion emulsification technique.

Key words: Bisphenol A epoxy resin, Non-ionic emulsifier, Hydrophilic composition, Phase inversion emulsification, Waterborne emulsion